More Than Silent Tears
by azurefang
Summary: Damon and Ric talk about some of their most vulnerable moments.


MORE THAN SILENT TEARS

Disclaimer: The Vampire Diaries does not belong to me.

A/N Just a scene of friendship and compassion between Damon and Alaric.

Damon stopped by Alaric's loft to see how he was doing and to tell him some news. The man let him in, but didn't meet his eyes for more than a second. It was long enough for Damon to see that there were tears in his red-rimmed eyes.

"What's the matter?" he asked, not sure if he should pry.

"Nothing." Ric's voice sounded a bit hoarse.

"All right." It's none of my business, Damon thought. He'll tell me if he wants to.

"You want a beer?" Ric asked, moving toward the refrigerator in the kitchen. An open can sat on the table.

"Sure," Damon said. He noticed an envelope and a letter also on the table. A letter could have sad news.

Ric handed him his beer and he popped the top. He took a swallow as his eyes followed the man who walked into the living room area of the loft.

"Have a seat, buddy," the older man said as he plopped down in a leather recliner.

Damon moved to the couch and sat down. He didn't say anything, waiting to see if Ric wanted to explain the tears. In fact, the man used his sleeve to wipe his face as a tear escaped down his cheek. He sniffed because his nose was running.

"I was rereading a letter Jenna wrote to me once. A love note. It rips my heart out," Ric finally said. "I still can't accept that that bastard Klaus killed her like he did."

"I know," Damon said quietly. He didn't mention that he himself had felt sick over Klaus' killing of Elena, even though he had known she would live again, one way or another. "We'll get him some day."

"Do you ever cry, Damon?" Ric asked after a beat as he stared at nothing.

"I've been known to shed a tear or two. I did when I had to stake poor Rose. I really cared about her. She was a nice person. The same with Andie Starr after Stefan killed her. She didn't deserve to die."

Ric nodded and brushed his sleeve across his face again.

"I shouldn't read Jenna's letter. I was crying like a baby a few minutes ago. I know we men aren't supposed to blubber like that, but…" Ric closed his eyes and put his hand over his mouth for a long moment.

"I've seen lots of men cry in my time, Ric. Depending on the circumstances, there's no shame in that," Damon said.

"Have you ever cried like that? Sobbed? Bawled out loud? I mean as a man?" Ric asked. He took in a long, shuddering breath and then let it out. He shook his head in sadness before taking a good swallow of beer.

"I guess. In all my years, sure. Especially over a death," Damon said, a bit uncomfortable with this.

"You're a tough guy, I know."

"I'm pretty good at screaming in pain, but that's different from what you're talking about."

"Yeah, it is. You probably don't even remember the last time you really cried, beyond shedding a silent tear or two."

Damon just looked at his friend, feeling sorry for him. Still, it was an awkward moment. Should he mention the last time? He took a couple of swallows of his own beer.

"Actually, I do know," he finally said.

"Oh?"

"Not so long ago, really. When I was dying of that damned werewolf bite."

"I know you were suffering, pal. I saw that when you were in the cell."

"And it got a whole lot worse. I can bear a lot of pain. But that night it got horrendous. It came in waves. As you well know, I escaped the cell and got out of the house. I found Elena and she took me back home. Helped me get up the stairs to my bed. That's where I wanted to be when I died and she was right there with me.

"I couldn't ask her to stake me. She couldn't have done it. Stefan might have, but of course Klaus had him. I didn't know that, but I knew I was going to die without ever seeing my brother one last time.

"So, I had no choice but to tough it out. Only I wasn't any good at it by then. As it got worse, it was like my insides were being torn out and my body felt like it was on fire. I screamed a lot. And I finally broke down and cried in Elena's arms. I did. I was exhausted. I wanted so badly for it to be over.

"Elena did her best to comfort me, but there wasn't anything she could really do. I got so weak. The pain was bad, but it evened out and I finally stopped screaming. I was barely aware of her being there, holding me. I know I asked for her forgiveness for stuff I had done and she forgave me. And she gave me a gentle kiss, right on the lips. I wish I could have responded to that more. I think I told her I loved her, but I'm not sure. I'm not sure what we said. Things had grown really faint and fuzzy.

"I didn't have the strength to move anymore. By then I felt very cold, except for the warmth of her body against mine and her arms around me. I know I felt more at peace. I'd finally reached the end.

"And then Katherine came with some of Klaus' blood and I recovered. But anyway, that was the last time I really let go and cried like a little kid."

"I don't blame you. You had a damned good reason to do it," Ric said, nodding. With a sigh, he added, "I'll put away Jenna's letter. It doesn't do me any good to read it over and over." After a long moment of silence, he asked, "Okay. Why'd you stop by, anyway?"

"Oh, that's a whole different story," Damon said with a small grin and a roll of his eyes.

A/N I hope you liked this little scene. I know Damon didn't do a lot of screaming or crying in the episode, but I think in "real life" he would have.


End file.
